Types of Mesothelioma – Pleural
There are two primary diseases that result from prolonged exposure to asbestos. The first, and most common, is called asbestosis. The second is a terminal form of cancer called mesothelioma.
Asbestos
Cheap and easy to get, asbestos is estimated to have been used in over 3,000 different products. It’s been in use for centuries, but really became popular as the industrial age got its start in the mid 1800s. Hundreds of thousands of men and women were exposed to asbestos over the course of their lives. There were workers in several industries that had a high risk of asbestos exposure. Freight handlers, oil refinery workers, power plant employees, sailors and miners were just a few. Today, there is still risk of exposure for those working in the construction industries, both residential and commercial, because asbestos was mostly used as an insulator for hot water pipes and in many of the materials used to build homes and factories. For the most part, asbestos use declined sharply in the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The dangers of asbestos exposure finally became known to the public and its use was banned for most industries. There are still uses for asbestos, but only under tightly controlled conditions. Please see “Asbestos Overview” for more information.
Risks of Exposure
Asbestos is a friable material, which means that it crumbles easily. The dust that forms when this happens contains millions of microscopic asbestos fibers. This dust floats through the air with the slightest breeze and anyone in the area is likely to swallow or inhale it. Once the fibers are inhaled and drop into the lungs, they don’t have too many places to go and they sit there. Asbestosis, which is mentioned above, is the most common result. Over a large number of years (the results of asbestos exposure can take as long as forty or fifty years to develop) the fibers scratch the tissues on the inside of the lungs. The lungs heal themselves and scar tissue forms. At a certain point, the scar tissue becomes so bad that the victim can no longer catch their breath. Many people die as a result of this condition, but it is treatable if caught early enough. There is no cure. The other possible result of exposure is a cancer called mesothelioma. For more information, please see “Asbestos Exposure.”
Pleural Mesothelioma
The mesothelium is a protective lining that covers and protects most of the vital organs in the body. There are several specific names of the mesothelium, depending on where it is found in the body. The pericardium surrounds the heart, the peritoneum is found in the abdominal cavity and the pleura is located in the chest cavity. The mesothelium is made up of a layer of cells that secrete a fluid which allows the organs to slide against each other and against the outside walls of the body without receiving damage.
The asbestos fibers that have accumulated in the lungs can work their way to the outer layer of the tissue and infect the pleura. It can take anywhere from twenty to fifty years for the damage to appear. The fibers irritate and cause the pleura to become inflamed. After time, the inflammation can become chronic and it’s possible that tumors may begin to form. As the pleura begins to thicken with the tumors, it becomes more and more difficult for the victim to breathe. Mesothelioma tumors grow quickly and can completely fill the lung cavity. The also metastasize at a rapid rate, which means they are likely to spread cancer cells to many other parts of the body.
The most common symptom of mesothelioma, and often the first, is chest pain. The location of the pain can be a bit deceptive, though, as it is usually felt in the shoulder or upper abdomen. The next symptom that typically occurs is a dry, rasping cough. Eventually, the cough will become worse and the victim may even begin to cough up blood. The patient may begin to experience a shortness of breath, even while at rest. Night sweats and fevers, extreme fatigue and unexplained weight loss may also begin to appear as the disease progresses.
Treatment
Again, the early detection of mesothelioma makes treatment much more likely to have some effect. Research is being done on medications, treatments and detection procedures, but progress is slow. The treatments for mesothelioma are the same three treatments typically used for cancer. They are surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments and are often used in conjunction with each other. Please see “Mesothelioma Treatment Overview” for more information.
If the tumors are found soon enough, doctors can perform surgery to remove the cancerous tissue and then radiation or chemotherapy can be used to, hopefully, eradicate other cancerous cells that may be floating through the body. The average lifespan for an individual diagnosed with mesothelioma is short, anywhere from six to eighteen months. New treatments and drugs have changed this for some folks. A study done recently estimates that, at this point, about ten percent of mesothelioma sufferers can live for three to five years and five percent may live longer than five years, if the disease is detected and treated early.
For the most part, asbestos use had come to a halt by the early 1980s. There are still a lot of products in use, especially in home and building built before the mid 1970s. However, there many rules and regulations that have been put into place to protect the public and workers from asbestos exposure. Experts estimate that number of asbestos related medical cases will continue to rise until they peak in about 2015. The numbers should drop quickly after that.
